Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Hard to believe it has been five years since I made the outdoor curtains for my back porch and I am very happy to report that after all this time, rain, heat, washing and drying them every year, they are holding up very well.

It was a project and a half!

Not because they were difficult to make, but because I had to make eight very large curtains. Our porch in 12 feet high and each opening is 10 feet wide, so it took me about six whole days of cutting and ironing to finish the entire porch.

These are the items I used to make the curtains.

The canvas drop cloth I purchased from Lowe's. Lots of it! LOL I really liked this brand. The drop cloth color is very pretty and it is a little sturdier than others.

I made all the curtains using my favorite thing in the whole world, HeatBond iron-on adhesive which, by the way, has not come apart at all.

I don't really have a tutorial to give you on how to make these curtains. They are very simple.

Just measure your space, cut your fabric to the desired width and length, adding to those measurements about 1 1/2 inches on the sides and top for your hem and 3 inches for the bottom.

I like my bottom hem to be a little wider.

The biggest problem we had were the bars. We could not find anything that would fit those opening, so we had to fabricate some. We bought some regular iron rods and sprayed painted them ourselves. We used ring clips to hang them up and happy to report, those are also doing just fine.

At first, I used decorative chain to secure them to the posts as you can see in the next few pictures.

But it proved to be a mistake as soon as it got really windy, so I had to move on to plan B. Rope!

The porch has changed many times over the years, but the curtains have stayed.

I love the way they look and the warm feeling they give our porch either day or night. You don't realize how much they add to your space until you take them down to wash. :)

If you decide to tackle this project, my only advice is, be patient and make sure you wash your drop cloth before you start your project, because it will shrink. Believe me, I learned the hard way. I am just very glad I made my curtains a little long. :)

Tuesdays at Our Home link party is still open. You can find it hereStop by and link your beautiful projects!

Hi, everybody! Thank you for stopping by!
My name is Maria Elena. Born and raised in Madrid, Spain.
I am a "retired" Army wife and also a very proud Navy mom.
Married to my awesome husband for 36 years and the mother of three wonderful children.
Although my career has been in Early Childhood Education, I have always loved to decorate.
I can't wait to share my home decor and our DIY projects with everybody and I am looking forward to getting to know all of you.

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